Full Text: The Asian Academy Members’ Letter and the Academy’s Response

March 16, 2016

On Tuesday, about two dozen Asian members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences sent the academy an open letter demanding an apology for what they called slurs at the Oscars ceremony in February.

The response from Dawn Hudson, the academy’s embattled chief executive, did not land well, with some describing it as resembling “a form letter.”

The Academy’s Response

Dear Friends and other concerned Academy members,

Thank you for taking the time to voice your concerns about our 88th Oscar show, which are valid. We appreciate your perspective and take your points very seriously. It certainly was never the Academy’s intent to offend anyone.

We are committed to doing our best to ensure that material in future Oscar telecasts be more culturally sensitive.

It pains us that any aspect of the show was considered offensive, and I apologize for any hurt the skits caused.

Our Awards Committee and Academy leadership will be exercising more oversight to make sure that concerns like yours are fully addressed.

With warm regards,

Dawn Hudson

The Letter to the Academy

To: Cheryl Boone Isaacs, President Dawn Hudson, CEO Members of the Board of Governors Reginald Hudlin and David Hill

Dear Cheryl, Dawn, Members of the Board of Governors, Reginald and David:

We are writing as Academy members of Asian descent to express our complete surprise and disappointment with the targeting of Asians at the 88th Oscars telecast and its perpetuation of racist stereotypes.

In light of criticism over #OscarsSoWhite, we were hopeful that the telecast would provide the Academy a way forward and the chance to present a spectacular example of inclusion and diversity. Instead, the Oscars show was marred by a tone-deaf approach to its portrayal of Asians.

We’d like to know how such tasteless and offensive skits could have happened and what process you have in place to preclude such unconscious or outright bias and racism toward any group in future Oscars telecasts.

We look forward to hearing from you about this matter and about the concrete steps to ensure that all people are portrayed with dignity and respect.

We are proud that the Oscars reach several hundred million people around the world of whom 60% are Asians and potential moviegoers.